After thousands of hours in the Bible and years of a well-ordered life, the preacher came to Jesus with a summary: look how much I have done for you. The answer he heard in his own mind was this: you are telling me about your love instead of letting me tell you about mine. That memory opens a sermon on two scenes from Mark’s Gospel (Mark 9): the mountain of transfiguration, where Moses and Elijah stand for every promise ever made, and the valley, where helpless disciples cannot free a possessed boy. The boy’s father speaks some of the wisest words in Scripture: I believe, help my unbelief. Listen if you too find yourself handing God a list of merits instead of a request.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- What makes the Transfiguration on the mountain in Mark 9:2-13 primarily for the three disciples, and what do Moses and Elijah, the cloud, and the Father's voice reveal about Jesus?
- How does Jesus explain to the disciples who the promised Elijah is, and why was it so hard for them, after Peter's confession, to accept that the Messiah must suffer?
- The speaker describes a conversation with Jesus in which he realized he enjoyed the benefits of salvation more than Jesus himself. How are you tempted to worship the outcomes of faith instead of Jesus?
- At the foot of the mountain the disciples can do nothing, and the boy's father cries out: I believe, help my unbelief. What do these words teach you about honesty in your relationship with Jesus?
- The sermon stresses that there are no heroes in the gospel except Jesus, and that discipleship requires complete dependence on him. What in this truth brings you freedom, and what makes you resist it?
- In what specific area this week can you stop relying on your own strength and, in the spirit of "Be still, and know that I am God", hand it over to Jesus?
